Bid'a according to Islamic
legal definition is an innovation, which is an error and a misguidance.
It must be shunned and people warned against it. Since the blessed prophet
(saw) said: " Whoever innovates in this affair of ours (religion) that
which is not from it, it is rejected." (Agreed upon)

In another Hadith he (saw) says:
" The best speech is the book of Allah and the best path to follow is the
path of Mohammed (saw) and the worst things are the innovations and every
innovation is an error" (Muslim)

Ibn A'lan whilst explaining, " The
worst things are innovations, " says: " These are things which are not
found in the books of Allah or in the Sunnah or in the consensus and nor
do they have a basis in these sources." and "All innovations are an error
" this literally means new thing which doesn't have a precedent and in
the Shariah it refers to something invented against any command of Allah,
"Error" because truth is in what the Shariah is indeed an error so by error
here is meant anything that doesn't have a basis in Shariah whilst an innovation
can have a basis either by an analogy or even without that if it is good
it could be the way of the rightly guided Caliphs or the Imams. The reason
for condemning an innovation is not that it is a new thing but that it
is associated with violation of Sunnah.

The following extract from Faith
al-Bari the most authentic commentary on Bukhari further clarifies the
concept of Bid'a.

" Innovation is that which does not
have its origin in the Shariah and anything that does not have an origin
in Shariah is an innovation."

As-shafi says, " Bid'a is of two
types: Praiseworthy (good) and blameworthy (bad), that which is agreeable
with Sunnah that is good and that which is disagreeable with it is bad."

Bahaqi quotes Shafi as saying, "innovations
are of two types - an innovation that opposes the book or Sunnah, or opinions
of the Sahaba or consensus this is misguided innovation and a good innovation
is that which does oppose any of these such innovation is not blameworthy..."

Ibn- Abdul Salam says in "Al-Qawaid
" that Bid'a is of five types:

1. Wajiba (necessary); Like learning
Syntax and Grammar through which the word of Allah and his messenger can
be understood.

2. Manduba (Recommended); All good
acts that were not established in the time of the Messenger (saw) like
the congregation of Taraweeh, like the funding of schools, Tasawuff, holding
debates.

This is why the scholars say that
we shouldn't take the literal meaning of Bid'a but its specific and technical
meaning. Otherwise every new thing that did not exist at the time of the
blessed Prophet will be called Bid'a, yet we know that human society is
constantly changing, it is in flux.

Every day new things are appearing
and others disappearing, life style is affected and undergoes a change.
The early Muslims society went through major changes within a short span
of a single generation. The Muslims who were once persecuted and living
paupers in Makka were in the time of Caliph Ali ruling half of the known
world and even moved their capital of their empire from Madina to Kufa.
Based on this universal principal that human society will always be changing.
Muslim scholars have decided: "The basic principal in all things is that
they are permissible."

The Hanafi jurists have gone a step
further and even accept customs (Urf) as a possible source of legislating.
Therefore we should not take the literal meaning of Bid'a but rather its
specific technical meaning. No Muslim scholar has ever taken this strange
literal meaning of the word.

Imam Shatbie in his book "Al-Ithisam"
has defined Bid'a as follows: " A way invented in religion that resembles
the Shariah yet the purpose of following it contradicts the purpose of
Shariah." So it is a way, which is not in consonance and agreement with
the Shariah but against its spirit. This is why the Prophet (saw) so strongly
condemned Bid'a. The Innovator is thrusting something new in the religion
yet it violates the spirit of religion.

Dr Muhammed Saeed Ramadan Al-Boothi
(Prof. Shariah in Damascus University) comments on shatibee's definition
as follows "Then Bid'a means including something new into the deen as a
part of it yet it is not infact it is against it and that is the nature
of Bid'a and the reason why the law giver warned against it as is apparent
from 'its' being called Bid'a an innovation. This view is further supported
by the Prophet saying, "Who innovates in this affair of ours that which
is not from it..." (Muslim).

The obvious meaning of "this affairs
of ours" is deen as is clear from the Hadith cited by Tahawi, " Six persons
are cursed by Allah and the prophets:

1. Who adds to the deen of Allah.

2. One who rejects predestination.

3. An overpowering person who degrades
those Allah has honoured and honours the degraded.

4. The one who gives up my Sunna.

5. The one who makes permissible
what Allah has forbidden.

6. The one who makes permissible
from my honour that which Allah has forbidden."

From this it is clear that the reason
for rejecting Bid'a is that the innovator is introducing into the deen
that which is not from it. Since the only lawgiver is Allah there is no
room left for addition or change to this Shariah. As far as all other deeds
whether secular or religious it is incorrect to call them Bid'a they will
fall under what the Prophet (saw) called Sunna hassana or Siyya."

Abdullah Ibn Abbas narrates the messenger
(saw) said, "Whatever Allah has made permissible is halal and whatever
he has forbidden is Haram and anything else not mentioned is excused."
(Abu Dawad).

An innovation, which is evil, leads
to evil or opposes a Sunna will be bidatun-Dallala a misleading innovation
and will therefore be rejected by the umma. However, if it does not have
any of these characteristics it will fall under the category 'excused'.

Mulla Ali Qari (d.1014 AH) writes
about the above mentioned five categories of Bid'a and concludes his discussion
by saying, " Abdullah Ibn Masud narrated that the messenger (saw) said,
"What the Muslims consider good is also considered good by Allah" another
Hadith says "My umma will not agree upon anything which is misleading."

The words opening Hadith of Mishkat
are "Verily actions depend on intentions and man will get whatever he intends"

All other human activities that do
not actually form part of religion or religious commandments whatever their
nature will not be considered as Bid'a; if they are against the details
of Shariah then they will be called violations of Shariah. However if they
are in conformity with the laws thus they will be called "Sunnah Hassanah
" in the words of the Prophet (saw), "Whoever starts a good practice in
Islam he will be rewarded for it and whoever starts evil practice in Islam
he will be burdened with it." (Muslim)

A contemporary scholar Sh.N.H. Keller
makes this pertinent comment on the above clarification of Bid'a: "One
might support the denial of his classification by clinging to the Hadith,
"Every innovation is misguidance", because the only form of innovation
that is without exception misguidance is that which concerns tenets of
faith, like the innovation of the Mutazilites, Qadarites, Murji'ites and
so on that contradicted the belief of the early Muslims.

This is the 'innovation of misguidance'
because it is harmful and devoid of benefit. As for innovation in works,
meaning the occurrence of an act connected with worship or something else
that did not exist in the first century of Islam, it must be necessarily
be judged according to the five categories mentioned by al- Izz ibn Abd
al-Salam.

To claim that such innovation is
misguidance without further qualification is simply not applicable to it,
for new things are among the exigencies brought into being by the passage
of time and generations, and nothing that is new lacks a ruling of Allah
Most High that is applicable to it, whether explicitly mentioned in primary
texts, or inferable from them in some way.

Conclusion

In conclusion we can say that every
new thing is not Bid'a! If it contradicts a principal of religion as though
it is part of it then it becomes a misguided innovation. Otherwise if it
conforms to the spirit of Shariah it is good Bid'a. As Imam Shafi said
Bid'a is either "Praiseworthy "(Msahmoodah) or "Blameworthy" (Mazmoomah)
(From Ibn Hajar in Fath0. Hence those people who call every new thing Bid'a
have failed to grasp the full meaning of prophetic saying, "Kullu Bidatin
Dallalah" (Every Innovation is an error).

May Allah protect us from blameworthy
innovation and give strength courage and ingenuity to start Sunnah-Hassanah-
Amin.

Understanding Bid'a from Principle
of Fiqh

The following principles of fiqh
can help us to judge what is good and bad innovations and what is permitted
and what is not permitted.

1. " The basic principal in all things
is that they are permissible ". In other words apart from those things
that have been specifically mentioned as haram all else is permissible.
' Halal is what Allah has permitted in His book and all else that has not
been mentioned is excused.

2. To declare something haram or
Makruh evidence is required therefore as cautionary measure it is best
to accept something as permissible since that's the principle.

3. If the Shariah is declared something
good than it remains so. For example the Shariah has praised Zikr all the
time and at all places. Therefore there is no need to prove the permissibility
of any particular type of Zikr, Silent loud, alone or in a group sitting
or standing etc.

4. If we accept the principle that
for any action to be permissible or forbidden it has to be mentioned by
name in the texts then it will be objector's responsibility to prove that
is forbidden by name in the texts.

5. The main fact that something is
new and modern is not a sufficient reason for disapproving it until it
opposes any principle of Shariah.

6. There is clear distinction between
' not doing something' and ' forbidding something'. The fact that something
has not been done in the past does not mean it is forbidden.

7. An innovation that becomes a means
of achieving any one of the objections of Shariah not only permissible
but may become a necessity for example 'learning deen' is an obligation
therefore innovation like looks, computers, Magazines, Correspondence courses,
schools etc are necessary Bid'a.